No. 14 Kansas State women’s basketball recorded its second straight demolition of a conference opponent, setting down UCF 97-67 in front of 6,246 in attendance at Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday.
The Wildcats (24-4 12-2 Big 12) set a program record of nine games scoring 90-plus points, a stretch that included two games scoring over 100 points. K-State was three points shy of clearing the 100-point mark for the program’s first time in a Big 12 Conference game.
K-State made it clear that it’s reciprocal in conference record, UCF (9-15, 2-12), was no match for the abundance of playmakers offered by K-State. The Wildcats shot 70% (14-20) from 3-point distance, led by sophomore Taryn Sides, who scored 21 points on 6-7 shooting from beyond the arc.
“Sides is a weapon that you can tell that teams are having to pay attention to,” head coach Jeff Mittie said. And if they don’t, she’s capable of making them pay.”
Sides was efficient across the stat sheet. On defense, she recorded a game-high two blocks and four steals. As ball handler, she committed no turnovers with six assists.
“She’s on the floor for a lot of reasons, not just shooting the basketball,” Mittie said. “She’s worked hard to progress her game that way. So really proud of her defense and really proud of her overall development.”
Joining Sides in excellence from deep were seniors Temira Poindexter and Jaelyn Glenn, each recording a mark of 4-6 from distance. Poindexter scored 16 points while Glenn and guard Zyanna Walker followed with 14.
As for the rebounding and assists, it was a total team effort. Eight players recorded three or more rebounds, with not one eclipsing five. Sides, Glenn and Walker each had six assists while All-Big 12 guard Serena Sundell and forward Gisela Sanchez finished with four.
“It’s an obvious statement to say, the more players that you can have teams worried about, if you keep preaching to your team, ‘Make the right play you can,’ you can play pretty good,” Mittie said.
Sundell, who has dominated in league play as a versatile piece to the Wildcats success, was able to take a slight step back in the blowout, recording eight points, four assists and three rebounds.
“I came into the game saying let’s get some rest early and with the score, I really just tried to keep everybody fresh,” Mittie said, knowing K-State has a quick turnaround with an afternoon game at West Virginia on Monday.
After allowing UCF to score the first bucket of the contest, it was all Wildcats. A 10-0 run in under two minutes of the game clock forced a timeout by the Knights. Although it was an attempt to stop the bleeding, it only escalated UCF’s problems.
The Wildcats promptly went on a 28-4 start to the game, recording a perfect 10-10 mark on its field goals, including 4-4 from 3-point range and 4-4 at the charity stripe. By the end of the first quarter, K-State separated itself from the Knights, doubling them up 32-16.
“I just thought that they tried to have as much fun as they could right away, home run passes, then we settled back in and then that group played well,” Mittie said. “The more fundamental we played in this game, the better we played.”
UCF minimized the damage in the second quarter, holding K-State two a pair of triples after five in the first quarter. K-State led 50-29 at the break with Glenn and Poindexter in double figures. Glenn made three triples while Poindexter and Sides registered two each.
Out of the break, Sides’ sharpshooting became the main event. The true sophomore recorded successful pump fakes with ease, knocking down three triples in the third quarter alone. K-State’s lead grew to 37 points at the end of the frame, leading 81-44.
K-State took a step back in intensity during the final frame, allowing UCF to close the final deficit to 30 points and keep the Wildcats from reaching 100 points. Sides scored 13 of her 21 points in the second half with four triples.
K-State returns to action on Monday, as the Wildcats visit No. 18 West Virginia for a 1 p.m. President’s Day tip-off on FOX.
“We’re excited to play on national TV on Monday, and we’ll get our rest, we’ll get out there, and it should be a great game,” Mittie said.
